Monkeyfist.com unveils a new look (I was going to make some joke involving gloves but what’s the use) which does a great job showcasing some of the very best original content on the Web. My favorite recent piece goes a little like this:
I am homophobic.
I am homophobic (literally, “afraid of non-heterosexuals”) to the extent that I accept the exclusive validity of “traditional” notions of gender, of masculinity or femininity. I assume, as most people do, that everyone around me is heterosexual, unless they make it clear that they aren’t. By making this assumption, I expect a uniform range of behaviors from everyone I encounter. This expectation has everything to do with why life is extremely difficult for those who are homosexual and for those who’s sexual identity lies somewhere in between. Because it takes a considerable amount of work to break out of these expectations, only a very small number of people who feel overwhelmingly that they are homosexual, and simply cannot live normally otherwise, actually “come out of the closet.” The same closet that’s built and maintained by me and by everyone else who assumes and expects heterosexuality of everyone.
